The total coordinate ring of a wonderful variety (Q2370296)

All the extremal rays of the cone of effective divisors of a wonderful variety \(X\) of a semisimple algebraic group \(G\) are described. It is shown that the group \(\text{Aut}^0(X)\) is semisimple, as well as any connected subgroup \(G'\) containing the image of \(G\), and moreover, \(X\) is still wonderful under the action of \(G'\). In particular, it is shown that \(X\) has a canonical structure of a wonderful variety under \(\text{Aut}^0(X)\), and its colors are the same as those associated with the \(G\)-action, and its boundary divisors are exactly the fixed divisors. An algebraic description of the total coordinate ring \(R(X)\) of \(X\) as a certain Rees algebra and a presentation of \(R(X)\) by generators and relations are obtained. It is shown that the total coordinate ring of any spherical variety is obtained from that of the associated wonderful variety by a base change if invariant subrings.